Bridge To Another Day
by Tidia
Summary: Brotherhood AU Sam is caught in a situation which leaves Dean and Caleb to save him, but Sam doesn't know he needs saving.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Bridge To Another Day

Beta: That Girl Six

Disclaimer: Ridley C. James created The Brotherhood AU. This story is part of the official time line. Supernatural is owned by Eric Kripke

Notes: This story has been on my hard drive for 2 years. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity to dust it off and get to work on it. That Girl Six betaed, however, I then went through and changed and added so all remaining mistakes are mine. Thank you to Ridley who listened to my whining about this story.

Part 1

Sam stretched until his arms dangled over the edge of the bed and he sighed, scooting back so that his arms were on the mattress. The bed was so comfortable with the soft, sheets smelling of Tide laundry detergent and the sun coming through the blinds but not resting on his eyes, just dappling the room. He felt a small hand on his back and the soft breath against his neck. It was nice. It was familiar.

"What time is it?"

He wanted to keep his eyes closed, but somehow he couldn't deny the voice asking him the question anything. He opened his eyes and searched out the red numbers on the alarm clock next to his head. "Eight."

There was a noncommittal reply, then a groan. As shapely legs stepped over him, he turned and opened his eyes to see white. The one side of the bed against the wall was empty and quickly growing cold.

"Sam! We over-slept," the female voice yelled out to him.

"No, we didn't." Sam couldn't think of any place he needed to be except for a comfortable bed. "For what?"

Jessica came out, toothbrush in her mouth. She removed it to talk to him after she had glared at him. "Come on, silly. Graduation. The biggest day of our lives, well, until you graduate from law school, that is." She wrinkled her nose. "How much did you have to drink with Zach and those guys last night? You got in late. . ."

"Mmmm," he replied. He must have had a lot to drink since it was all a blur.

"I'm taking a shower first, but when I finish I expect you out of that bed," she ordered and then sashayed back into the bathroom.

Sam sunk into the bed, enjoying the extra minutes of rest. He would get up in ten minutes while Jessica took her usual twenty minute shower. He must have miscalculated or fallen asleep again because he was sure he only blinked once before she was dripping her hair on him.

"I was just waiting for you to finish." Sam grabbed her waist, bringing her down upon him as she lost the beige towel she had tucked around her breasts.

"Saa-am, your parents are going to be here soon. They said they were going to bring breakfast, remember?" She tried to pull away and find her towel at the same time.

"Okay, okay." He gave her a peck on the cheek since he did not want to be caught in bed with Jessica with his parents probably minutes away. That was not the impression of their future daughter-in-law he wanted to give them.

At the thought of the actual word "daughter-in-law", Sam couldn't help but smile to himself. It went well with the picture he had of their future. Until then, the ring was well hidden. He was planning to give it to her tonight when they were surrounded by their families.

He took a quick shower, but still the mirror fogged up, so he wiped a hand down over the mirror so he could shave. For a moment his image was blurred. He placed his hand on the mirror and felt the moist glass. When his visage was no longer distorted he picked up his razor. He made quick work of his whiskers then squeezed some of Jessica's pomade in his hair. Sam had told Jessica that whatever was in the small bathroom was community property. Most of the time this worked for Sam's benefit, but sometimes that meant a floral scented shampoo.

When he exited the bathroom with a towel around his waist he noticed Jessica had put out his dress pants and a shirt for him to wear. He had told her he was tempted to go to graduation in shorts and a t-shirt, since he'd be wearing a gown anyway.

When he was dressed he came out to the kitchen and living room area. She held out the tie she had picked. He placed it around his neck, she lifted her hands to tie it. He pretended he didn't know how to do it well just to have her preen over him as she hummed a silly song. "Over and under and through. . ." She had told him her father taught her when she was little.

The doorbell rang and he backed away, coughing when Jessica didn't release the tie right away.

"Wait, I'm finished!" She gave the blue striped tie a final tug.

Sam loosened the tie slightly as he opened the door. His parents, hand in hand after more than thirty years of marriage, huddled in the small doorway. He had seen them yesterday, during the day, but his mother still hugged him. He picked her up slightly and squeezed. His mother was still trim, and her hair was soft against his cheek.

"My baby boy."

His father, gave his usual gruff greeting, then placed a hand against Sam's cheek while pushing a bag at him. "Breakfast," his father announced.

Sam pressed against the door and let his mother enter. "Jessica said you love the muffins and coffee from the place down the street," his mother explained as she gave Jessica a hug.

Sam smiled. He loved Peet's, especially the chocolate chip, coffee cake swirled muffin. He peeked in the bag, and saw the large muffin on the top. He was still waiting at the door, even though his parents were already inside. There was someone missing.

"Who are you looking for, son?" his father asked, placing an arm around Sam's shoulder.

"I just thought. . ." Sam started to explain that he thought there would be more family to witness something he had worked so hard to achieve.

"Your aunt and uncle wanted to come, but they figure they will see you when you come home for your visit." His father led him away from the door, closing it as they made their way to the kitchen for their intimate breakfast.

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Arkansas felt like the middle of Nowhere when your brother didn't want to wake up. They had met up with Caleb after the showdown with the siren in Iowa. The brothers had been picking at each other, making every sigh and twitch less endearing and more aggravating and leading to the slamming of doors. A meet up with Caleb was a good distraction, a buffer between them after the verbal volleys in the motel room. Caleb had found a satanic cult that was calling up apparitions on Bono Bridge. It would take more than just one person, and three would be perfect.

They had read over Caleb's material and then done a site visit, marking the territory so that it would ward against whatever the cult was doing. The awkwardness sat heavy in the air when they returned, though, sending Sam to bed while Dean and Caleb sat up without saying much of anything at all.

Dean had awoken early, more now to keep an eye on his brother, and entered the shower to languish in the hot water. For once, there was decent water pressure. There would be plenty for Sam later. Caleb didn't pick roach ridden places. The Comfort Inn had real walls, painted a neutral color, not the normal ugly dark paneling covering god knows what underneath. There were no suspicious stains on the carpet, which when they were kids was an entertaining game of 'what caused the stain.' The Comfort Inn also had a room service menu and wireless.

Sam was still sleeping when Dean exited the bathroom. Dean did not try to be quiet as he unzipped his bag, hummed a tune as he shaved and gargled after brushing his teeth. Sam slept through it all. Dean eyed the menu, then slapped it down on the desk. Still no reaction from his brother. It was almost 10 o'clock. Dean looked at the door, contemplating a bagel and coffee run. Sam was tired, waking earlier than Dean to talk privately to Ruby. Then there was the occasional late nights hunting with Ruby, without Dean.

So Dean would have let Sam continue sleeping if he hadn't felt a burst of anger. "Sam? Sammy?" Dean shook the bed. "Time to wake up, man."

There was not even a twitch from his brother. He shook him again, placing both hands on his brother. He hadn't touched his brother since he had hit him, trying not even to brush against him in close quarters. "Sammy!"

This was not normal and was not a hangover. They each had one beer to wash down dinner. Dean knocked against the bedroom wall. Caleb was in the next room. "Get in here!" he called out. The Comfort Inn was better than their usual motel rooms, but it still had thin walls. He placed his hand on his brother's neck, feeling the slow steady rhythm of a sleeping heartbeat.

"Open up, Deuce!" Caleb said from the door.

Dean walked backwards, his eyes on Sam as he opened the door for his friend. "Sam isn't waking up."

Caleb performed another brief examination. "Deep REM sleep?" he questioned as he patted Sam's face.

Again, there was no reaction.

"Help me get him into the shower," Dean said with the belief that a cold shower would revive his brother.

"Wait a minute." Caleb left his hand on the side of Sam's face for a moment. He grimaced, then closed his eyes before drawing his hand away. "I can't get in."

"What does that mean? Does it mean he's in a coma or had some sort of aneurysm?" Dean placed his hand on Sam's blanket-covered leg and shook it again. He knew Sam using his abilities was bad for his health. This just proved it. "I'm calling 911."

Caleb lifted his hand. "No, wait. I would know the difference. This is like being psychically blocked."

Dean did not take comfort that it was something supernatural that was effecting his brother, and not physical. "Did he take some dream root?" Dean was tired of asking questions and not getting answers, or at least getting the truth.

"And not tell you? Why would he even take it?" Caleb shook his head. "Hex bags?" Caleb began to look around the room, under the bed, sticking his arm as far under it as he could to feel along the springs.

"Why does he do a lot of the stuff he does?" Dean replied, looking in the nightstand for a hex bag but finding nothing. He opened his duffle bag and turned on the EMF. "Clear here. Help me get him in the shower."

Between the two of them, they maneuvered Sam into the bathroom. The shower head was one that could be pulled from the wall. Dean opened the water, and sprayed the water on Sam's face. "Damnit, Sammy." His brother's eyes remained closed.

Dean patted his brother's face, then placed the towel around his neck while Caleb supported Sam's weight. They brought him back to the bed, laying him down once more.

"Should we call Mac?" Dean rested a hand against his brother's forehead.

Caleb shook his head. "Mac's in Jamaica right now. It would take him awhile to get here."

"With Esme? First Hawaii, now Jamaica? You sure it wasn't for a quickie wedding?" Dean smiled, looked at his brother to join in the teasing. At least that was something they still had in common. "You know Sam loves weddings."

"Something about a voodun priestess and another link for The Brotherhood." Caleb waved his hand in the air. "Mac is trying to form a network because of the apocalypse."

Dean nodded, recalling an earlier conversation with Sam. "That's right Sam mentioned that when he talked to Mac last week." Mac had taken up calling Sam once a week to provide him some sort of Scholar training.

"So putting Mac on the backburner for the moment, no hex bags, no dream root. . ." Caleb was reviewing the list.

"Ruby." Ruby was the bane of his brother, and this reeked of her leading his brother down the wrong path. "He spends time with her. Maybe this is Lillith related?"

Caleb rubbed a hand down his face. "How do we get her here?"

Dean wished he knew more about the Sam and Ruby connection. What he knew was enough, and sometimes it was better not to know too much. That way he could ignore the existence of the relationship. "She's always skanking around. Let me try his cell phone." It was charging on the nightstand.

At least Sam had not saved her number in his phone under her name. He remembered the phone number from Iowa when Sam had left his phone behind and Dean had been too tempted not to look. It rang twice before she picked up with a warm _"Sa-am."_

"No," Dean stated, not going any further with an explanation. "We need to talk."

_"Where's Sam? I want to talk to Sam."_

"Busy." She sounded annoyed, but Ruby was a demon with lying as part of her core chemistry. We're in Camden, Arkansas, at the Comfort Inn, Room 12."

_"I'll see you in ten."_

Dean shut the phone and relayed the information to Caleb.

"Ten minutes? She stalks you guys from town to town?" Caleb had taken the pillows from the other bed, and with Dean's help they placed them under Sam's feet to keep up circulation.

Sam's features were slack, uncommon when the conversation was about Ruby. Yet, there was only silence and Dean was allowed to make a biting comment, "Or worse, we follow her."

Both Caleb and Dean were men of action. They stayed fidgeting in silence in the uncomfortable position of waiting for Ruby to help them.

Caleb cocked his neck towards the door.

Dean opened it as Ruby was in mid-knock. He was glad to get her off guard. "What's going on with my brother? Did you do this to him?" Dean pulled her in, manhandling her until she was in front of Sam's bed.

"Going on?" She pulled her arm away from him, then pushed Caleb away as she got on her knees and rested her head near Sam's shoulder. "I didn't do this!"

Dean clenched his fists, hating the intimacy and the lies she told. She had poisoned Sam with those half-truths and probably many more that he had no idea about.

"Then what about your friends? What about Lillith?" Caleb was standing shoulder to shoulder with Dean in support.

She pulled her dark hair away from her face, placed a hand on Sam's shoulder.

Dean growled at her for touching his brother.

She stood, ignoring Caleb and facing Dean. "I didn't do this and this isn't Lillith's work either," Ruby said calmly with the security of someone who knew.

"Do what, exactly?" Dean looked down at her, trying to seek the truth from her as he bit out the words.

"Psychic wonder doesn't know?" She turned her head and smiled at Caleb. "I do." She retreated to Sam and sat on the corner of the bed with a hand possessively on his leg.

"Of course you do," Caleb replied.

Dean couldn't allow the taunting to go on much longer. It was wasting Sam's time. "You going to tell us?"

Ruby smiled again, stroking Sam's leg. "Your holier-than-thou buddies haven't dropped in, have they? I would say they were involved."

Dean wished Castiel would show up with Uriel. He wouldn't stand between Uriel and Ruby this time.

"Why?" Caleb tapped her shin with his foot.

She grimaced and rubbed the spot Caleb had touched. "Oh honey, I thought under that head of hair you had some brains."

"Is this how you talk to Sam?" Caleb questioned.

Dean reached out and squeezed Caleb's arm, signaling him to stop. This would get them nowhere. Ruby had her own game, and they didn't know the rules. "Get to the point."

She directed her attention to Dean, batting her eyelashes innocently at him. "He's been placed in a dream world."

He had been placed in dream worlds — by a djinn and by the angels to see how their mother had made a deal to save their father. (1) Castiel was busy with his own business; he had said as much to Dean. They were trying to stop the seals from breaking. He had no way of contacting Castiel unless he wanted to go through the ritual Bobby had found.

Caleb narrowed his eyes. "I can't get in."

"Really? Maybe I should try." She walked her fingers up Sam's leg until Dean grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"No, you don't."

She attempted to pull her hand out of his grasp, but he held firm. "I should be doing something to help Sam. He needs me. . ."

Dean drew her arm behind her and up her back, pushing her towards the door. "And we need you to leave."

"Fine." She opened the door, and Dean released her. "The offer remains open, and I'll be close by."

Dean slammed the door behind him. He assumed Caleb would be satisfied with what he had done, but there was no cocky grin on his friend's face.

"If she's right and it's the angels, then that's the reason why I can't get in."

"Not this shit again." Dean couldn't deal with Caleb's insecurities about being demon-tainted and therefore not worthy of the angels. "I don't know, but I don't want to her doing God knows what to Sam without us being able to see, too. He is here, and he's alive." Dean gripped his brother's hand, feeling the warmth there.

"Ruby said he was in a dream world. When that happened to you, Castiel showed up. Right now — no Castiel."

Dean followed Caleb line of thought. "So you think this is Ruby."

Caleb nodded. "She could touch him and get a read from him. If she's involved then maybe Josh will know something about how to wake the runt up. It's like Glinda versus the Wicked Witch." Caleb had his cell phone out.

Dean liked the idea. "One problem: Sammy is on Josh's shit list right now." He had forced his brother to tell Joshua the truth, perhaps to his detriment. But Dean was having trouble tolerating the secrets and didn't want to be a party to it — with anyone. "And I wouldn't mention you comparing him to Glinda."

"He'll help." Caleb scrolled through his contact list and called. There was no greeting, Caleb went into a brusque explanation, "Hey, we can't wake Sam up, and Ruby says he's in a dream world." Caleb put the volume up on his phone so Dean could hear Joshua's reply.

_"Hello, Caleb, how are you? I'm fine. Thank you for asking. Yes, I am at work presently, but I'll take your call, and I am still waiting for that check for Hawaii."_

Dean sighed in frustration. Some things would never change with Sawyer.

"Check's in the mail," Caleb quipped. "Sam needs help. He's been sleeping over eight hours."

They heard the squeak of an office chair through the phone_. "Maybe he's tired."_

"Caleb can't get a read on him, and Ruby came by," Dean added, trying to rush along some answers.

_"Of course," _Joshua replied coolly._ "Am I on speaker phone?"_

"No, you said you don't like it. I am all about respecting your boundaries. I put the volume up," Caleb replied with a smirk.

"She said that he's in some sort of dream world and she had nothing to do with it," Dean added.

_"And you believed her?"_

Caleb answered because it was easier for him to believe that if it was bad, then it was a demon, hence Ruby. Dean was still in doubt if it was the angels in which case they would have to wait for Sam to be released by them. "No, that's why we're calling you. Is this something you can fix?"

_"Adam and I've been working on something to break down a poison."_

"Poison?" Dean went to his brother, placing two fingers against his pulse point, relieved at the thrum-thrum of a heartbeat.

"No one said anything about a poison," Caleb supplied.

_"Did you find anything? Hex bags? Writings? Anything?"_

"No," they both answered.

_"Then it could be, possibly something he ingested." _

They had gone out for standard American faire last night, and they weren't affected. "Does your invention work?" Dean had picked up on the fact that Joshua had said he and his friend were working on something, not that it was completed.

_"Sam would be our first test subject." _Joshua gave what seemed to be a disappointing sigh. _"Not a lot of people getting poisoned, lately."_

"You want Sammy to be a guinea pig?" Dean looked at Caleb who nodded.

_"We've tested the theory and did a trial animal run which worked out well. So technically he is our first human subject." _

"That makes me feel oh so much better." They had to take Josh up on his offer. Dean wanted another chance to fight for Sam to get a chance to bring him back. "I know Sam's not your favorite Winchester anymore . . ."

_"That is a completely separate situation. However, I cannot make any guarantees if Ruby is in my presence."_

Caleb looked at Dean for permission from The Guardian. Dean nodded; he could accept Joshua's terms. "Agreed, if we could be so lucky. What should we do in the meantime?" Caleb asked.

_"Try to get through to him. Call Carolyn. She and Riley have that research on Triad power. It could help."_

"Fine, just get here quick," Dean added and walked away from the phone, but not before hearing _"You're welcome."_

Caleb closed his phone with the only background noise of Sam's soft breathing. External injuries were so much easier to deal with. "Do you think Adam is coming with him?" Caleb broke the silence.

"I don't know." Dean thought it was an idiotic question, unless it served the purpose to distract Dean.

"He doesn't like us."

"Are you serious?" Dean didn't know what to do with himself. Sit on Sam's bed? Pull over a chair? Pray? He felt powerless, weak, sending Sam's words echoing back.

"Of course I am. He could be a threat," Caleb explained, getting two bottles of water out of the mini-fridge, handing one to Dean. "He likes Josh but doesn't like us? I don't get it."

Dean decided to pull over a chair. "You can ask Josh all about him when he gets here. We need to call Carolyn."

* * *

**(1)Please note:** The only back story we are using from the show in regards to Mary is that she made a deal with YED to save John. That's it. Other than that we have our own history from Ridley's story, In The Company of Dragons


	2. Chapter 2

Notes: Thank you to the people who reviewed, who marked this story or myself as an alert or just read it. Any mistakes left over are purely my own because I ended up fluffing this after me beta sent me some notes which gave me some ideas. Thank you to me friends and the hunters who help make the hunterstomb possible.

Part 2

Dean rubbed his face as he listened to Carolyn. As of late, any conversation started with her apologizing to him. She had felt bad about the way she had treated him when Josh was in the hospital. He had told her there was no need for apologies, but she paid no heed and apologized for minor infractions like not answering the phone on the first ring. Dean let it pass. Eventually Carolyn would become comfortable.

He rolled his eyes at Caleb. Carolyn and Riley had lots of theories.

_"It's like twins, or maybe triplets in this case, feeling the death of their sibling. It is a deep connection."_

"Any way to tap into it?" This was the information they needed to know, how to use their Triad connection. The rest of it was fluff, and Dean never wanted the fluff.

_"We've been all over the Wilmington Ranch, and we can't get to the Sinks. Other than going to Hell. . .Sorry."_

Dean wanted to laugh, but mentioning Hell usually didn't give him that reaction. "Josh and you are going to be really happy together." Both had the same problem of saying the wrong thing. He covered the statement. "Anything else?"

_"The Triad together is the key," _she reiterated, then paused_. "Try holding hands_," she murmured.

"What was that?" Dean said sharply.

_"Try holding hands?"_ she repeated, but this time Dean heard her clearly. _"Riley and I believe it has to do with proximity and contact."_

Dean muffled his hand over the phone. "They want us to hold hands."

Caleb shook his head. "Can you see Mac, John, and Jim doing that?"

"Good point," he agreed with Caleb and then directed the question to Carolyn. "What did Mac say?"

_"He couldn't remember ever holding hands with Pastor Jim and your father."_

"Damn right." He affirmed Caleb's thought.

_"But Riley did say that when you were in that room together, you were able to be trapped-__**together**__," _Carolyn chided.

At the Wilmington ranch they had been trapped as they walked into the room. Carolyn and Riley had a point, as uncomfortable as it was. Holding hands was left to only bedside vigils when one of them was close to death. Sam wasn't dying. "Okay, fine."

_"Wait, Dean," _she said,_ "Joshua notified the CDU that he is moving to your position."_

"CDU?" He looked at Caleb who shrugged his shoulders in response.

_"Counter Demon Unit. We're big into '24'."_

He laughed. The Geek Squad had their eccentricities. No wonder they really like Sam. "Right. About Josh, we'll take care of him."

_"Thank you."_

"You're not going to like this." Dean explained what Carolyn had told him, although Caleb had heard enough of it to put it together.

"Hand holding." Caleb looked down at his hands. "It's like we are living Sam's dream of chick flick moments."

Dean didn't reply. In the past his brother would have appreciated the bonding, but since returning from Hell Dean noticed his brother had hardened. He missed the other Sam — Dean Winchester's kid brother. "I'm going to be relying on you to do this, getting me into Sam's head."

Caleb nodded. "You remember when you were a kid and Sammy got stuck in his head?"

"A little bit. . .mostly I remember going on ice." Dean had been scared, and because of that he had blocked out a lot from being held hostage by a rawhead.

"Okay." Caleb brought the back of his hand near his mouth. "We already know I can't get through, but I'll try to be a bridge, cross you over."

Dean glanced at his brother, willing Sam to open his eyes. Whatever Sam needed him to do to fight this to wake up, he would do. "I get it, John Edwards."

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Sam combed his hair back and squirted some gel into his hand, sculpting it back to look more professional. His administrative law professor had secured him a paid position clerking at the Bankruptcy Court. It was a great opportunity to work within the federal system, and the money was a perk. They were living off of Jessica's paycheck; having completed her masters in psychology, she had found a job at a local hospital.

His parents were upset that their only son wasn't spending any of his summer break with them. They promised to visit him before he started his last year of law school.

Jessica and he were engaged but wouldn't get married until after his law school graduation. He would already be set up in a job, take the bar, get married, and then take a long honeymoon before starting his six figure salary job. Those were his plans in that order. He had been interning since being a 1L, but he wanted one of the big three in LA. A clerkship was impressive, especially as a 2L. It was all part of his checklist to success.

His good suit was on the back of the bathroom door. He hoped the steam would refresh it. Some days he wished he was normal sized- suits were expensive, plus he had to think about alterations. When he turned back to the mirror after pulling on his pants he saw the black cord and the gold-colored charm hanging off of it.

He took it in his hand, surprised he hadn't seen it there before, but it looked familiar. It was a strange figure: twisted horn, a weird face smoothed over with wear of time. He thumbed it again, getting a sense of its importance. He was startled when Jessica opened the door, holding out a mug of coffee to him.

Sam had to admit he had been too nervous for much of a breakfast, even though Jessica had awakened early to make French toast for him.

"What's this?" He held up the necklace, and it glinted under the bathroom light, winking at him in cockiness.

It was swinging in the air, and Jessica reached out, bringing it to stillness. She smiled, showing all those white teeth that came when she had a burst of energy or a happy moment. "Something I got at a flea market. They said it was good luck."

"It looks familiar," he said, hoping she would remind him where he had seen it before.

"Maybe you recognize it from that art class you took?" she needled him, poking him in the ribs with her finger. He had admitted to her long ago that the reason why he had taken that particular course was to meet girls. Again, he didn't remember anything that was vaguely like the necklace.

"I didn't learn much from that class. Someone kept me from paying attention," he replied jokingly. It was where he had met Jessica.

"Very funny." She punched him lightly in the arm. "According to Mesopotamian mythology, the Bull-man helps people fight evil and chaos." She placed her finger on the charm as if she was giving it her blessing.

"Sounds perfect for any lawyer-to-be." Sam started to button up his shirt. He leaned over and gave Jessica a kiss. "I love it. I'll wear it everyday." It sounded weird for him to make that kind of promise to wear a necklace. He wasn't superstitious at all.

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Caleb broke the contact when he heard Dean moan. They had formed a ragtag circle around Sam — Dean to Sam, Sam to Caleb, and Caleb to Dean. They had pulled the hard backed chairs over, one on each side, and Caleb talked Dean through a mental exercise he used to use to relax.

He was surprised Dean didn't roll his eyes, or refuse to them. He saw the way Dean visibly relaxed, and hoped he would continue to use them. Caleb hadn't used them in awhile, finding it easy to enter people's minds now. The unbidden visions warned him, gave him a twinge of a headache, something he could dismiss in a moment.

Dean's eyes were open now with a momentary panic he stood up suddenly, then swayed. Caleb reached out and grabbed his forearm. "Hey, you okay?"

The younger hunter sat in the chair again and placed his head in his hands.

"I didn't get anything. Did you see something? Connect with him?" Caleb was getting worried he had done something wrong, hurt his family or worse, failed them. He kept concentrating on Sam and Dean linking, since every time he knocked on Sam's mental door he received only an echo in response.

He was surprised by Dean's reaction. Dean lifted one finger, gesturing that he needed a minute.

Caleb wanted to pry into Dean's mind, but didn't want to press and do more harm. He took the moment to study Sam. There was still no change in the youngest Winchester. He glanced at his watch. Joshua would need more time to get from North Carolina to Arkansas. He concentrated on Dean, finding it difficult to stay silent, especially when his best friend was in pain. "What's going on?"

"Before, when Sam had Andy send me a message, it felt like this. . ."

"You're okay?" Caleb passed him a bottle of water. He couldn't offer him anything more; drugs, even Tylenol in this case, could hamper their efforts, although Caleb was weighing the pros and cons of continuing. So far the cons were in the lead.

Dean nodded. "Yeah." He coughed. "I don't know, man. There was this little pinpoint, and it was weird to think it was connected to Sam's brain."

Caleb grinned at the awe in Dean's voice. "Sam's mind on a different level – that's how Mac would say it. I didn't see anything. I know you were there, but that was it."

Dean shook his brother's shoulder. They both looked intently at Sam, but there was no reaction.

"Hey, hey, it was the first try, and Sam was a late bloomer," Caleb added. He hadn't come into his psychic abilities until later, and then there was The Red Caboose, too. Because of Dean, though the pros now outweighed the cons.

"You know, like this he's still Sammy."

Caleb read Dean's thoughts. This sleeping Sam was sweet and innocent, and to Dean, his current brother was not. "Are you scared of him?"

Dean groaned. "Damien, this isn't a Lifetime movie." He glanced at Caleb before minutely adjusting Sam's pillow. "There's no respect."

"We're talking about The Godfather principle. There's nothing more important than respect and your family." Caleb wished Sam hadn't planted the seeds of doubts and wished for more recent proof of Sam's respect for his brother.

"Don Corleone had it right."

"Then maybe this isn't Ruby. If Castiel did this to him, then there could be a reason for it." Caleb could not think of how the angels would teach Sam to have respect for his brother. Sam seemed to gain more respect for his father after his death when he was placed in similar positions.

Dean shook his head. "I should have stopped him."

Caleb dropped his gaze to the brown bedspread they had covered Sam in. "You couldn't stop him, and it's not because he's strong and you're weak." Caleb did not want to reinforce Sam's statements. "Sam is prideful."

"What?"

"Pastor Jim used to tell me my abilities were a blessing, Mac, too. I didn't believe them until I started helping people. Weird to think that seeing things from the monster's point of view was helping people."

"That's what Sam says." Dean leaned forward with more interest.

Caleb nodded. He understood Sam. "It went to my head at times to have the power to do some much, then I would cross the line." Caleb didn't say anything further about when that happened, but the times jumped into his mind easily enough. He cleared his throat. "It started off with little things, then those little things," he paused, "they made me realize the potential I have in me."

"To go darkside," Dean said, avoiding Caleb's eye contact.

"Sam hasn't had that moment, yet."

"And you think that the angels are having a, 'come to Jesus' so to speak."

Caleb grinned at the turn of the phrase. "All I know is I can't get through. . ."

Dean was chagrinned. "So this is all about you?"

Caleb rubbed his chin, feeling the stubble from his lack of shaving. "Yes. Maybe God doesn't want me using my abilities either. I'm not going to lie and tell you I'm not worried. The angels aren't too happy with Sam, but what about me?" Caleb felt his stomach flip as he admitted his insecurity. He hated talking about it because talking about it made it real.

"Whoa, sorry to interrupt the pity party, Obi-Wan." Dean shook his head. "You didn't do anything in secret. You weren't purposefully deceitful."

"It's okay if he wants to use his abilities," Caleb replied. "He's trying to make the best of a bad situation." John had set Sam up to be distrustful of his abilities. However, now Sam believed Ruby was a better teacher and his stubborn pride wouldn't allow him to admit that was a mistake. "What I'm saying is that maybe Sam needs to learn something to have him drop Ruby, or to have him realize that his abilities need to be respected as much as people."

"You're blaming the guy we're supposed to be helping. That's sick, man." Dean started laughing, but it wasn't one of happiness. It was one of frustration.

"Well, he can argue with me when he wakes up." Caleb wanted that argument with Sam. He supported the youngest Winchester in wanting to use his abilities, but he also wanted Sam to heed some advice.

"Then we try again." Dean held out his hand.

"What about waiting to see how this plays out? Save some of those precious blood vessels."

"Whoa, Caleb the party is not coming to us. We bring the party. I want Sam awake, and I'm doing this on my time, not God's time or Ruby's time."

There were moments their attitude of shoot first, ask questions later were a detriment. "We're going into this blind. You may or may not have connected to Sam, and then what did you do with this connection?" Caleb asked.

"Told him to wake up. That we were out here."

That wasn't what Caleb was asking. It was difficult to speak about psychic abilities with Dean, who was so reluctant about Sam using his. For Caleb this was the connection he had with Sam. "You what? Yelled? What?"

"I remembered when we were kids and you used to send us images of cards and stuff."

Caleb was taken aback at Dean's recollection of a simpler time and his astuteness of that connection. Sending images was easier than talking across a psychic link. "We did kick ass playing penny poker." Caleb grasped Dean's hand. If Dean was getting through, then maybe Caleb was doing what he was supposed to be doing. They had to keep trying until something or someone stopped them. "A pinpoint, you said?"

Dean nodded.

"I can work with that," Caleb said with confidence that if the angels were involved then he would know.

(((((((()))))))))))

Sam was cleaning the hall closet as the movers were carrying out the boxes. This had been his and Jess's first apartment, their first home, and he would miss the cramped space. Jessica said she loved his sentimental side, but three and half baths, granite kitchen counters, and a master bedroom won out. Their wedding picture would look great over the fireplace.

He had finished law school, passed the bar in California and Nevada. His parents still wished he would think about taking the bar in Kansas, reminding him good lawyers were needed there, too. But the warm sun agreed with him, as did the job at Yates, Edwards and Dellis, one of the most prestigious law firms in the country paying him a very large six figure salary.

He was realizing all of his dreams with Jessica by his side as he had planned it all along.

Jessica had assigned him the small closet. She had taken care of the larger closet, the basement storage area and under the bed. He was throwing the jackets and sports equipment in the box, even though he was supposed to be sorting and trashing some of the stuff he never wore. He came across his ski parker with lift tags on it from three years ago when they had gone to Sun Valley. He didn't know the next time he would get a chance to go skiing. After all, he was working sixty hours a week.

Sam noticed the movers were finishing up, and he started to grab the hangers in bunches and place them in the box to move with them. When he turned to pick up the items that were on the floor, he saw hanging by itself, was a brown leather jacket.

He pulled it out and caught a whiff of the scents of gun oil and salt. It was a sweet and sour mixture, reminiscent of someone. He touched the amulet he wore around his neck, feeling as though they were linked.

"Sam?" Jessica came up behind him.

"Look what I found." He held out the brown coat for her assessment.

She scrunched her nose. "A leather jacket."

Sam slipped it on to show her that it fit. He had trouble finding clothes to fit him properly due to his stature. It felt good, worn in, and bendable; however he knew he had never worn it before. "I don't know how it got here."

"It fits and looks good on you, really sexy in fact." Jessica leaned in closer to him.

"It's weird, though." Sam knew that most of their sports stuff was in this closet. Their apartment was small so he could account for everything. "A leather jacket and a good one? Just in the closet?"

"You brought a lot of stuff with you from Kansas." Jessica gestured to the box he had just packed. "Stuff was here before I moved in."

"Yeah, hey, you're right." That jogged a memory for him of his father when he was younger wearing the jacket. He smiled at the thought of his father being worried he would be cold in California. "I think it's my dad's."

"Aww, that's sweet." She rubbed his arm. "He gave it to you."

"He must have. It's really cool." Sam pulled down on the edge of the sleeve.

"I don't know if you can wear it to the firm. . ." Jessica teased.

"I'm going to keep it." Sam took it off and folded it up, gently placing it on top of the box. He then sealed the box up and pushed it to the hallway for the movers to pick up. This was the beginning of a new chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Author: Tidia

Disclaimer: See part 1

Beta: That Girl Six

A/N: Sorry it took me awhile to respond to reviews. This site was having issues. It has been betaed and then I added so all mistakes are my own. Thank you to Ridley for the reminder to post. Real life has been busy...on a good note both Ridley and I have been busy writing too. Thank you again to the kind people who read :)

Part 3

Caleb retained the link as much as he wanted to pull away. He was a part of the Winchester's lives, but this was incredibly personal. He was supporting the images Dean's mind settled into.

It was like the other hunter's mind was a directory going through memories, dismissing the abstract images and choosing the overt ones. The leather jacket was perfect, except for the toll it was taking on Dean.

Dean wished John were here to help him with Sam, help him with the decisions weighing on him.

_'Pull back,'_ Caleb sent the suggestion through their mental link.

_'No.'_

Caleb shut down his ability, only keeping a connection to Dean. _'It wasn't a suggestion. I am not saying wake up, just take a breather.' _Caleb didn't know if coming in and out of bridging with Sam was placing a stress on Dean's brain. By staying in a lulling state, Caleb thought there may be fewer side effects.

_'You're not giving me a choice.' _

That made Caleb feel better. He had been unsure of the idea of Triad power, after all it sounded like something out of a Saturday morning cartoon. The three of them could link, but only together could they overcome obstacles. _'Are you pouting, Deanna?'_

Again he was distracting Dean. Being in limbo without full faculties was daunting to those who relied on the five senses only. He didn't want to draw attention to it.

'No.'

One word answers were not a good sign. _'What are you thinking of sending through next?' _

_'I'm thinking. It has to be big.'_

Dean always had the ability to be singularly focused. He was ignoring the situation and thinking about helping Sam. Caleb decided to help him brainstorm. _'So it won't be WooBee.'_

_'I thought about sending in good old Ronald McDonald.'_

Caleb laughed. It was fun to go down memory lane. When the boys were kids it seemed it was so difficult to keep them out of trouble. He never thought it would be like this when they made it to adulthood. He thought it would be easier. He was wrong. _ 'He hates clowns. You thinking of scaring him into waking up?'_

_'Works for the hiccups.'_

He distinctly recalled a time when he had the hiccups and the boys had spent an hour jumping out at him. It was near impossible to do a sneak attack on a psychic. _'No it doesn't.'_

_'Okay, I have an idea.'_

Now Caleb could sense Dean was being smug. _'Is it bigger than a breadbox?'_

_'Damien, you are in for quite a ride.'_

(((((((())))))))))))))

Sam tiptoed out of the house, figuring he'd get breakfast at the office. They had lived in the house for two years, and he knew where all the little creaks were that could potentially wake up his wife.

He dropped a quick kiss on Jessica's forehead. She wasn't feeling well; her pregnancy was taxing, but in one month they would have a baby girl or boy. It was supposed to be a surprise, but Jessica said she had a feeling it was a boy. Sam was nervous regardless of the sex. He was scared about the responsibility of another life that would rely on him for everything.

Because of his fear he was putting in long hours at the firm. Sam opened the garage door, pushing the button on the remote. When he backed up he saw the black car behind the driveway. It would be a tight fit, but he'd be able to move the Tahoe around it.

He parked in the employee parking garage and walked to the elevator. He blinked twice when he saw the same black car parked in a handicapped space. He studied the car. It was old, a four door sedan kept in good condition. It was a Chevrolet Impala with no handicap decal.

Sam thought about reporting it to security, but he had better things to do, as in billable hours. He worked steadily until lunch when one of the partners, Spencer Trent, invited him out to discuss a case.

He followed Spencer outside since they were going to the restaurant across the street when he saw the car again, this time parked on the street. Sam was startled, and as they crossed right in front of it he noted the Kansas license plates. Living in California, but being from Kansas, Sam was always hyper aware of the beige and red versus the white and blue of California. He tugged on his suit jacket in nervousness of having seen the vehicle repeatedly.

The lunch was uneventful as he spent more time looking out the window, hoping to spy the owner of the car. No one ever came, and he had left Spencer with a bad impression. To make up for it, since he eventually wanted to be a partner at YED, he planned to work late. Jessica hated the sixty hour weeks, which was why Sam learned to call when he was going to be too late.

_"Oh, honey, I'll wait up for you."_

He smiled at her offer, knowing she couldn't stay up past nine these last few weeks. "No, it's okay, Jess, get some sleep."

_"I'll leave something on the stove for you."_

He nodded, hoping it wasn't one of her meat free, unrecognizable vegetable casseroles. "Love you," he murmured, and she gave him the same reply.

Sam worked until the cleaning staff came in. He shut the desk lamp off and picked up his brief case, pulling his keys out as he made his way down to the elevator. He glanced up at the security camera as he exited. It was always too quiet in the business district at night, and it was nice to see something or someone watching his back.

He diverted his attention from the camera and almost walked into the black Impala sitting again, _illegally_, in the handicap spot.

"Son of a bitch. What the hell is going on?" He examined the car, walking around it. He looked back at the elevator. The owner had to be in the building. He was tempted to go floor by floor, but in a thirty plus floor high rise it would take him all night. He then felt a compulsion to test the doors. He went to the driver's side, and one click later the door was open, left unlocked.

Sitting in the car and looking out in the garage, he didn't know if he should touch anything. He did grip the steering wheel and noticed how his hands fit naturally in the grooves. Sam moved his hands to the glove compartment after he patted the warm dark interior. He told himself he would only open the glove box if it was unlocked.

It was unlocked.

He leaned over to find the registration was on the top. A 1967 Chevrolet Impala was registered to a Dean Winchester of Lawrence, Kansas.

He dropped the piece of paper and placed one foot outside of the car, one still in. He moved his other foot, too. He sat there a moment to calm himself. He looked around but there was no one. Sam pulled out his cell phone and called his father, not thankful for the time difference between California and Kansas. He would be waking his father up, but he knew his father slept on the side of the bed near the phone.

"_Winchesters_," his father answered gruffly.

"Dad?" He called out to his father. "Did I wake you up?"

_"Sam! Did Jessica have the baby?" _

Sam placed a hand on his forehead. Of course his father would think he would only be calling his late because of the baby. "No, no, not yet, I just wanted to talk. Don't wake up Mom."

_"Okay, Sam," his father chuckled. "I was expecting this call. Give me a minute to get to the other room." _

Sam frowned. He didn't know what his father was talking about.

_"Sam, you are going to be a great father. In the beginning it's tough, but it gets easier up until they turn thirteen, then you wish you could send them back because they don't want to listen anymore."_

He shook his head. His father thought he was freaking out about his impending fatherhood. "What? Dad, that's not why I called."

_"It isn't? Not that you were a bad kid, Sam, I was just saying-"_

He ignored his father's backpedaling and got to the matter at hand. "I remember a picture of you and an old black car. Is that right?"

_"Old black car?! Sure. It was a beauty, my car, sold it when you were born. . ."_ His father sounded wistful.

"Did you sell it to a relative? A Dean Winchester?"

_"No, it doesn't sound familiar. I could find the papers. Why?"_

"There's this Impala here in the parking garage that looks like the picture, and it's registered to a Dean Winchester," Sam started to explain.

_"Maybe that's Cousin Ernie's kid. Maybe he's in California? I'd have to ask your mom in the morning.. Wow, what if that car stayed in the family? I would love to see that car again. Maybe buy it back? I don't need a sensible car since I'm going to be a grandfather soon."_

Sam chuckled; his parents were thrilled they were going to finally have a grandchild. "I'll leave him a note and see if he wants to sell it. How's that?" They said their goodbyes with, as usual, Sam's promise to call more often, but during normal waking hours.

He pulled out a pen and his yellow legal notepad and wrote: I am interested in buying your car. _ Please contact Sam at __swinchester __._

He relaxed a bit after leaving the note. It was probably a coincidence this morning that he saw the car, and the person who owned it probably worked in the building in one of the other offices. Maybe his cousin had tracked him down; that was plausible. He couldn't wait for Dean to call him so they would probably have a good laugh over his paranoia.

The street where he lived was quiet, the streetlights glowing every fifty feet or so. He pulled forward and backed into the garage so the next morning he would just pull out straight ahead. When he turned back around after parking, there across the street was the black Chevrolet Impala.

He jogged over. "Dean?" he called out, feeling a bit foolish. There was no one in the car and no one nearby. Sam was aggravated. This was an invasion of his privacy, regardless if he was related to this Dean person or not. He also had to think of his safety and Jessica's. He pulled out his cell phone, calling the police. "There is an abandoned car parked on my street that I would like it removed." Reporting a car as abandoned would get it towed.

Sam saw his note rippling against the windshield wiper like a flag. When he roughly pulled it, it was no longer his note, but another:

_I'm your brother Dean._

((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))

Dean's body protested and gave a jerk, breaking the contact with Sam as he spasmed. "Shit!" he huffed. Dean pushed Caleb away as he found his friend was trying to uncoil him. Dean had curled over himself as the tight pain shuddered for a moment, then relaxed. "It's . . . it's nothing, j-just a Charlie horse." The stuttering was not helping his case. He felt the moisture under his nose and tried to sniff it back in order to hide it.

"Fuck that," Caleb growled. "We need to stop. Your nose is bleeding. This isn't good. It isn't right."

Dean squared his shoulders, wiped his hand under his nose, and decided to stand to prove he was fine. His legs felt like rubber, but they were slowly regaining sensation. "You know we got through."

"_We_ didn't." Caleb gestured between the both of them. "The Impala, Deuce, really?" Caleb strode to the bathroom. Dean heard water rush and then the slap of the washcloth hitting his face.

"What?" Dean couldn't figure out how to get himself through to Sam, so he kept sending images. "He'll understand," he answered as he wiped the blood from his nose.

"Not so much." Caleb's eyes flickered to Sam, still lying on the bed unmoving.

Dean rubbed his mouth. He thought for sure he would have some sort of reaction. They had been at this for over two hours with worry clenching his stomach.

"Oh, fuck, Ruby's at the door," Caleb interrupted Dean's thoughts with the warning.

"Get rid of her," Dean ordered, stretching out his abilities as The Guardian, but honestly, he would have asked the same of his friend as he did The Knight. He couldn't deal with Ruby and her insidious thoughts now.

"Do you mean it?" Caleb raised his eyebrows.

He shook his head. Dean could not order Caleb to kill Ruby; that order had to come with Sam's full support. She hadn't crossed any lines with Sam, yet, but Dean had dreams.

"Fine, fine." Caleb sounded disappointed. The older hunter opened the door with a "Go away", then closed the door looking completely full of pride for his actions.

Ruby entered anyway, narrowing her eyes at Caleb with promises of revenge. "What are you two doing? Sam's crying out to me. I can feel it." She stretched a hand out to Sam, coming closer to the bed.

Dean got in the middle as a barrier between his brother and Ruby. Caleb's phone rang a familiar tune. "The theme song to _Bewitched_?"

Caleb shrugged, and Dean knew who was on the phone. He pointed at Ruby. "You, shut up."

Dean was only privy to one side of the conversation. Caleb had backed up; taking no chances that Joshua would find out Ruby was in the room with them. It would be an insult to Josh. "Hey, man, when are you going to get here?" Caleb nodded. "We're making progress." Then Caleb's eyes darted to Ruby. He ended the conversation after a pause. "See you soon."

Ruby had pressed herself against Dean, trying to get around him to his brother. He grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. "You need to go."

"And stay gone," Caleb added.

She put her hands up. "Please, I just want to help, you've got to believe me. . ." Her eyes watered, but nothing fell. "When you were gone, I was there for him. I helped him."

Dean placed his hand in the crook of her elbow and escorted her to the door. "You can help by leaving. When he wakes up we'll tell him you stopped by."

She tried protesting again, but he held firm, opening the door and watching as she walked to her car.

Caleb crossed his arms and gestured to the closed door. "I can't prove it, but she has something to do with this."

Dean shrugged his shoulders. A hunch was insufficient when it came to Ruby. His brother would never believe them. "Future law boy needs evidence. _You_ talk to him about Ruby when he wakes up."

"I've tried. He doesn't like hearing that demons can't be reformed."

Dean sat down by Sam's side and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder to prepare himself to make contact. Dean looked up at Caleb, who hadn't moved.

Caleb shook his head and sighed. "You need to rest more. That reaction isn't healthy."

He felt fine; the tremors were gone now, hidden when Ruby entered. He had pushed a lot down because of his brother and could continue to do so. "I can rest when he wakes up."


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Bridge to Another Day

By: Tidia

Beta; That Girl Six

Disclaimer: See part 1

Notes; Thank you to Ridley for the reminder to post again, since I will be away for a couple of days. She also added in some great stuff. Any mistakes left here are my own. Thank you for the reviews and readers-- all are appreciated! FYI: We do have a plan for Ruby. Also, there will be some more Joshua Chronicles, shortly.

Part 4

It had been a long day at the office. Sam was a partner now after years of hard work and reaping the rewards of it. His family was comfortable.

After Matthew was born, Reava came along a few years later, and his parents decided to move to California to see their grandchildren grow up instead of just waiting for the occasional visit. Sam bought them a small split-level fifteen minutes away, thankful for the nearby babysitters. That had been eight years ago.

Sam rolled his shoulders as he put the key in the door, looking forward to a relaxing dinner with Jessica. The kids would already be in bed. He threw his keys in the bowl on the console table and removed the rest of his tie.

Usually he smelled something warming in the oven when he got home late. There was also some sort of noise: television, radio, or even the laundry — the simple sounds of a lived-in home. That was also missing.

He went into the kitchen first, then to the family room, living room, dining room, upstairs to bedroom. The doors to the kids' rooms were open, beds freshly made. Sam felt his heart rate speed up, and sweat began to break as he went into the master bedroom.

"Jess?" he called out, then started increasing the volume. "Jess? Matt? Reava?"

His family couldn't just disappear. He rubbed a hand over his mouth. Maybe Jessica had told him they had a game to go to? He was always forgetting to look at the schedule. He raced down the stairs to check the refrigerator and came up short.

There was a stranger sitting at his kitchen table.

"Nice digs, Sammy," the man with short, light colored hair said as he rested his hands on the round glass table. On his finger was a silver band and bracelets peeked out from a plaid flannel sleeve.

Sam had a baseball bat in the hall closet; he started to back up to defend himself and his family. "Who are you? What did you do to my family?"

The man frowned and stood up. "Family? I'm your family." He came closer. "Dean, your brother, Dean," he said as Sam had his hand behind him on the doorknob.

Dean, the strange man, placed a hand on the closet door, forcing it to stay closed, then took Sam's arm and pinned it against his chest, forcing it up towards his shoulder. He gasped in pain.

"I don't have a brother. I'm calling the police." Sam moved his other arm to reach for the cordless phone but then it, too, was trapped in a vice-like grip.

"I can't let you do that." Dean pulled out one of the kitchen chairs with his foot and pushed Sam into it. "Sit. Your name is Sam Winchester. You were born on May 2, 1983. Your parents are John and Mary Winchester."

Sam tried not to move. His eyes darted around to look for a weapon or some form of help. "That's public information," he answered.

Dean rubbed his mouth. "Our mother died when you were six months old. When your girlfriend, Jessica, died you went with me to find Dad and hunt the Yellow Eyed Demon. You are a hunter, part of The Brotherhood, part of the future Triad."

"You're crazy." Sam hadn't meant to say it out loud. He prayed for his family's safety. He willed himself to be calm although his heartbeat was frantic in his chest. "I am married to Jessica with two children, and my parents are both living."

Dean's eyes widened as he shook his head. "No, that's a part of this dream world. You're not really here."

Sam remembered when this had happened before. He was lucky his wife was a psychologist. She had explained his delusion with the car. "You are not here. I must be under stress, like I was before. I wanted a brother because I was nervous about being a father for the first time." He hoped the Dean person would now disappear and he would awake from this bad dream. He pinched his leg, hoping the nightmare would end.

Dean smiled, patted himself on his chest. "That was me, trying to convince you to wake up. Caleb thought it was stupid."

"You have an accomplice? Is that who has my kids?" Sam started to rise from his chair. This wasn't a nightmare as much as he wanted it to be.

Dean pushed him back down. "You don't have kids!" Sam's eyes darted to the refrigerator that held some recent family photos. Dean caught the action and pulled a photo down. "Sonofabitch!" He ripped the photo, took the half, and shoved it in Sam's face. "That's Ruby, a demon bitch, not Jessica." Dean ripped up the picture and let the pieces fall to the floor. He then pinched the bridge of his nose. "Damnit, I'm running out of time here."

"Don't hurt my family," Sam whispered as he was overcome by deep dread of losing his family. "Please, don't hurt them."

Dean sighed, then backed up, his hands finding the edge of the table. "Way to go, Damien." He turned to the side and snapped his fingers while Sam tried to focus. "Look at the table. Is that the one you remember? That's the table from Jim's farm where we had lots of good times." Dean grabbed Sam's chin. "You have to remember Pastor Jim, Sammy."

Jessica had bought a smoked glass table for their kitchen because it set off the stainless steel appliances. They did not have an oak table, which had appeared in lieu of the usual table. Sam didn't know how that was possible.

"Sammy?"

He looked into Dean's eyes and felt a flickering of familiarity, if not in the green color, then in the nickname. His father called him that playfully on occasion when he was little. He stopped when Sam reached his teen years, and Sam hadn't heard it since.

"Yeah." Dean nodded, still holding Sam's chin. "This isn't where you're supposed to be. In my reality you've been sleeping for a long time now. You need to wake up."

"I am awake." Sam pulled his chin out of Dean's hands. He was starting to be lulled by the soft pleas.

"No, you're not." Dean pointed to the stainless steel kitchen appliances, the granite counter tops in the custom made kitchen, along with the kids' art work which Jess had hung up as part of the decor. "I know this life seems really good, but it isn't. It's really fucked up."

"And you're not?" Sam snorted. His voice took on a high pitch of panic he couldn't control. "You break into my house, kidnap my family, and are holding me hostage. Do you want money? I can give you money." There was a safe in the master bedroom with at least $5,000 in cash. "I want them back." He couldn't explain the table, but maybe Jess had a bought a new one and was going to surprise him.

Dean placed his hand on the top of his head, his nostrils flared. "I want my brother back. My brother, Sam, to just wake up, that's all I want." Then Dean grabbed the lapels of Sam's suit jacket and clenched them, giving Sam a bit of a shake. "You said you wanted a brother. Here I am, and all you have to do is remember and wake up."

"I don't have a brother!" Sam yelled with spittle spraying out in his anger.

Dean's chest was heaving as if he had been running a race. He placed a hand on Sam's chest, patting the charm Sam wore under his shirt, then smiled. "If you don't believe I'm your brother, then why do you wear the amulet? It's brass. Ugly dude with horns."

Sam's hand unconsciously went to his chest where the pendant rested. "How do you...Jess gave it to me."

Dean pulled the cord out so that the amulet was fully visible against Sam's blue dress shirt. "No. _You _gave it to _me_. I've only willingly taken it off one time, and you kept it for me then." Dean crouched down in front of Sam. "I'm your brother. You know it's true." Dean's hand went to his chest and he gasped, falling over so he was seated. "Sam." Dean reached out to Sam then disappeared before Sam's eyes.

(((((()))))))))))))

"He doesn't have a brother," Dean mumbled, back in the motel room, leaned over the bed with his head resting on the foot. He couldn't move.

"Deuce, hey, you with me?"

He felt Caleb's hand on his shoulder, and the weight felt too heavy.

"Don't touch me." It sounded like a growl, which he could apologize for later because Caleb moved his hand away.

It took effort, which Dean tried to muster. Using one hand he pulled his amulet from his neck. The next part required him to lift his head, and he slowly felt that he was coming back into his body. In one movement he leaned back against the chair, then lurched forward to place the necklace on Sam's chest.

"Deuce?" Caleb questioned but stayed in his position with his hand ghosting his neck.

"Sam's wearing it in the dream. He's convinced he doesn't have a brother, but he has my amulet for a reason." Dean looked up at Caleb, his hand still resting on Sam's chest where the pendant rested over his heart. "Maybe it will lead him back to us." Somehow Dean meant that in more ways than with just Sam waking up in the here and now.

With a deep breath Caleb placed his hand on Sam's wrist.

"Damien — " Dean noticed that his friend was looking as badly as Dean felt, but all that disappeared when Caleb smiled.

"Sam? Sammy?" Dean shook his brother.

"Come on, Runt," Caleb also joined in trying to rouse Sam.

Finally, there was a groan, then Sam frowned before batting their hands. "G'way."

Dean looked at Caleb and they both started laughing, losing their breath as they couldn't control themselves from the relief of Sam waking up.

Sam cracked his eyelids open. "What's . . .What's the matter with you two?" He pulled himself up to his elbows. "What did you two do?"

Practical jokes were the norm for them, although Dean was unable to remember the last time they had done something to Sam. Dean regained enough of his composure to try an explanation. "You wouldn't wake up so we had to go in and get you."

Sam narrowed his eyes, looked at the clock on the nightstand, then his wristwatch, then Dean's and Caleb's. "It's three o'clock in the afternoon?"

"Look outside if you don't believe us." Caleb gestured with his neck, remaining serious; reading the situation that Sam was in disbelief and thought this was some incredible plot against him.

"You had to go in and get me? You went into my mind?" Sam touched his forehead as if he was leaking brain matter.

"I was holding the door open," Caleb explained in his simplified matter when it came to his abilities. Dean knew it was to make them less threatening to him. "Your brother got the tour."

"It was like when I was with the djinn, but I was cooler in my dream world. I think you had a pocket protector and drove a Volvo," Dean quipped and waited for his brother to divulge what he saw. At least when djinn had tricked Dean, Sam was still there as his brother.

Sam remained silent, and his brow furrowed deeper.

"Do you remember any of it?" Caleb prompted, looking at Dean. "We don't know what happened or if someone did this to you."

"Someone wanted me to sleep?" Sam stretched his arms, and Dean watched as his brother did so effortlessly while his muscles were protesting movement.

"Or for you to learn something," Caleb added with a glance to Dean.

"Not if I can't remember. You think it was Castiel?" Sam looked between his brother and Caleb.

His brother was smart, not needing the situation spelled out for him. The fact his brother didn't have any recall showed there was no angel involvement. Unless Sam was lying to him, and Dean didn't want to revisit that discussion.

"Maybe. Or someone else." Caleb cleared his throat. "Ruby came by to see you."

Dean didn't answer the accusation with his information. He couldn't reveal he had seen Ruby in Sam's mind because Ruby would deny it. Then there was also the easier explanation that Sam's subconscious had just juxtaposed Jessica and Ruby since Ruby was the current woman in his life. Either way, Ruby was gaining power over Sam.

He was just glad there was a knock at the door because his brother's expression was one of anger. Sam was at the ready to defend Ruby.

"That's Josh," Dean announced. He stretched as he stood, feeling his tight muscles lengthen. He needed a Vicodin or possibly one of Josh's special teas.

"You called him?" Sam sputtered, shifting out of bed, looking out of sorts.

Dean let his brother stew as he opened the door to the older hunter. No need to divulge the agreement they had made with Joshua concerning Ruby or his duty to help Sam. "Adam isn't with him," Dean announced for Caleb's benefit.

"No, I came alone. Where's . . .oh, he's fine," Joshua said as he entered the room, moving his messenger bag off his shoulder.

Caleb stood and slapped Joshua on the back. "Don't sound too happy."

Dean didn't miss the warm greeting between them. Joshua and Caleb had a well earned mutual respect between them. No longer were they just tolerating each other. How pathetic was it that Dean was a little jealous of them since they weren't related by blood. "You were going to be his guinea pig," Dean explained to his brother with a smile on his face. Lately, Sam had the upper hand, but the pendulum was swinging towards Dean for the moment.

Sam's mouth had dropped open, then closed, then opened again. "You were going to let him use me as a test subject?"

"It's perfectly safe, and your name would have been mentioned in the results to the coven."

"Well, no offense, but I'd rather not. . ." Sam started.

"Help mankind?" Joshua raised his eyebrows and then pulled his bag back up from the floor by the strap that was slack in his hand. "I came all this way. I should at least get a blood sample."

"A blood sample?" Sam was backing up against the headboard of the bed.

"Sammy, you're always saying you want to save more people." Dean was perhaps enjoying his brother's discomfiture a little too much, but after all they had been through, he needed the comic relief. Caleb wasn't intervening either.

Joshua was going through his messenger bag as he spoke, "Well, normally we'd give the serum orally and then see the reaction—tongue, eyes, skin changes, but since you're awake that's not really possible. But a blood test might still help."

"He did come all this way," Caleb prompted with a wicked smile. "And you'd help advance. . .what do you call it? Because Mac would have a fit if you called it medical advances."

"The craft. This could be very helpful and breaking down poisons in the future." Joshua pulled out a vial, and it looked larger than a normal glass tube.

Sam stood up, wavered for a moment, but was committed to heading to the bathroom. "Hey, it's my blood."

"I bet Josh has a gentle touch," Dean assured his brother with a snicker. He wondered if Josh would be vindictive with a needle jab or rise above it to show he was the better man.

Joshua blocked his path to the bathroom. Dean and Caleb looked down as soon as Sam tried to beseech them with his eyes.

"Take it like a man, Runt," Caleb said, pointing to the bed.

Sam sighed and sat back down, offering his arm to Joshua.

Joshua tied off the arm with tubing, and in reaction Sam made a fist. Joshua didn't hide the needle he was using. He sort of looked like he waved it in Sam's face, making Dean choke off a laugh. "This won't hurt at all."

"Why don't I believe you?" Sam asked, but directed the comment to Dean.

"Perhaps you're still in shock from whatever it is that happened to you?" Joshua arched a brow. "Our relationship does sit on a solid foundation of trust."

Dean looked away as Josh went about his torture. He didn't like to think about needles since the incident with Rose and what she had put him through. "Besides helping all of crafting kind, will this test give you any clues as to what caused the Rip Van Winkle stint?" He wanted concrete proof of Ruby's involvement to shake her hold on Sam.

"Only if there was a biological agent." Joshua tapped the vein.

Sam shifted. "You're going to look for anomalies?"

Joshua held Sam's arm still. "In the sense that your blood would have a reaction to antidotes within the coven. Adam and I are working backwards in this case."

Caleb paced alongside the bed. "There was some kind of psychic component. That's the only explanation as to why I couldn't connect with Sammy. I'm having no problem now, and it's usually easier for me to reach him because of our abilities."

"Then how were you a conduit for Dean?" Sam asked, looking away from tube slowly being filled with his blood.

Dean smirked because might as well go along with the jokes at their expense, then avoid them. "We held hands."

"What?" Sam grinned and Dean thought it was the first time since he awoke that it was a truly a reaction he expected from his brother.

"Josh's fiancé is into the touchy feely stuff," Dean replied.

"Carolyn thought we might be able to tap into The Triad power," Caleb added.

"And it worked?" Joshua had finished and Sam bent his arm.

Dean shrugged. "We're not sure but you're awake."

Sam rolled his eyes. "What good is a power if we can't even use it? And why did Pastor Jim never mention it?"

"Perhaps he didn't understand it either," Joshua said, capping the needle and putting it into a blue envelope. Dean recalled those envelopes from when Mac gave them injections. He wondered if Joshua got them from Mac, or had purchased his own as he flirted with being a quasi doctor. "It was rare for his Triad to hunt as a collective. That could have been cautionary."

"Julian, Maxim and Victor hunted together." Sam shook his arm out and glared at Joshua. "I've read all their journals. They didn't seem to be afraid of being at risk, and nothing about Triad power was in their journals. Until Rose used it against us, we didn't know it existed."

Dean thought about Pastor Jim's journal. He agreed with Sam- there was no information about Triad power in the journal. There was also no reference to why Mac, his dad and Jim only hunted together rarely. He assumed it was because they all had their own outside duties- Jim was a pastor of a church, Mac was a renowned doctor and Dad was falling an obsession.

.Joshua closed his bag after he had stored the blood inside. "There is still a journal you're discounting."

Dean frowned. "Who's?"

"Their Advisor's, Benjamin Mosley."

"Missouri's dad?" Caleb had ceased his pacing.

Sam sat up straighter on the bed. "Now that you mention it, I don't remember reading any journals from past Advisors."

"And you won't," Joshua rubbed a hand down his mouth. "They're passed down from Advisor to Advisor, guarded as closely as those of past Guardians."

"Makes sense," Caleb said. "The Advisor has access to Triad workings like no other hunter. He or she would have a _unique_ perspective, access to all three and an insight to the group dynamic."

"Then Missouri should have them," Dean added. Missouri was the current Advisor. "They'll come to you."

"I assumed the same thing, but the only journal Missouri has to offer is her own." Joshua fidgeted with the strap of his bag. "Missouri left me with the impression that the journals were the least of the unresolved issues Ben Mosley left in his wake. If you wish to incur the wrath of her spoon, by all means feel free to question her further."

Dean shook his head. This was one more thing to make Joshua insecure of his position of Advisor.

"One more thing we've been kept in the dark about. One more thing that can be used against us." Sam rubbed his head. "I'm going to take a shower."

Dean watched his brother make his way to the bathroom. This was unlike Sam, who usually loved a good mystery. "Those journals could make a difference for us, Josh."

"Which is why I assume Mackland has Bradley working on that angle." Joshua straightened his jacket. "Believe me when I say I would gladly take any advice I could get when it comes to assisting with you three."

"No amount of old diaries are going to prepare you for us." Caleb snorted. "You should know that by now." Caleb reached out, tugged on Joshua's sleeve. "Since you came all this way, then dinner is on me. I saw there was a Longhorn Steakhouse down the street." Caleb gestured with his neck to the right where Dean had also seen the large neon restaurant sign.

Joshua rolled his eyes. "I drive all day for your offer to clog my arteries?"

"Pretty much." Caleb shrugged. "We can't help it if he woke up. You told us to keep trying."

"How soon will you find something out?" Dean asked because his focus was more on Ruby than a Triad power that no one knew about.

"If we find out something, I'll let you know." Joshua glanced at Caleb. "This could be solely a psychic phenomenon as Caleb said."

Caleb remained silent, and Dean was thankful he didn't share his idea that the angels had interfered with Sam because that couldn't be father from the truth. It was Ruby. However, he didn't understand the purpose.

"About that psychic thing." Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have a splitting headache; any way you can brew some tea?" He noticed Josh's reaction to him asking for herbs. "Hey, I don't want to go into Damien's stash of Vicodin. We need that for more serious injuries."

"Like losing a limb," Caleb commented. "Make it two cups and I'll even throw in the best bottle of wine they have."

"Wow, a whole $19.95, that's incentive," Joshua griped, but he was already opening his bag again. It was showing him their implicit trust. He may not have the Advisor journals, but he was their Advisor. In Dean's mind an unconventional Advisor with two loyalties to a tainted Triad seemed fitting.

"Can you make something for Sam so he remembers?" Caleb asked.

Dean shook his head. He could not allow that to happen, and his reaction stopped Joshua from answering. Some things were best left unknown. "Leave it." However, with Caleb the topic would be revisited at some point to find out if there were any ramifications for Sam. He would dissuade the Knight unless he proved it was Ruby.

It was his job to keep Sam safe. It wasn't that Dean didn't believe in Sam's dream world. He wanted all that for his brother and more, but he wanted to be a part of it, along with The Brotherhood, and he surely didn't want Ruby as a sister-in-law.

"To him it was a dream he can't remember, and I wish I had more of those."


End file.
